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  • Ozil sends Arteta message as Leicester beat Arsenal

    Ozil sends Arteta message as Leicester beat Arsenal

    Arsenal outcast Mesut Ozil reminded manager Mikel Arteta of what he’s missing ahead of defeat to Leicester City.

    On Sunday, Ozil posted footage to social media of his goal in the 3-1 win against Leicester two years ago ahead of the game against the same opponents.

    The German’s post was made before kickoff as Arsenal fell 1-0 to Jamie Vardy’s winner. It was the striker’s 11th goal in his last 11 games against Arsenal.

    Ozil has been axed from both Arsenal’s Europa League and Premier League squads and faces the first-half of the season being forced to train with no chance of first team action.

    The midfielder hasn’t played for Arteta since before the UK lockdown.

  • Arteta responds to Ozil’s Twitter comments after Europa win

    Arteta responds to Ozil’s Twitter comments after Europa win

    Mikel Arteta says he was pleased to hear Mesut Ozil had been supporting Arsenal from afar during their 2-1 win over Rapid Vienna on Thursday.

    Ozil did not travel with his Gunners team-mates as Arteta left him out of his squads for both the Europa League and the Premier League.

    The 32-year-old has not played for Arsenal since football returned from coronavirus lockdown but has been at the centre of attention regardless, with speculation around his future rife.

    Ozil criticised Arsenal after being left out of Arteta’s squads, noting that “loyalty is hard to come by” in football in a public message.

    Before kick-off against Vienna, though, he wrote on Twitter that he would be supporting his team-mates from afar, predicting a 4-1 Gunners win. Ozil continued tweeting throughout the game, and celebrated their victory with a Man of the Match poll.

    Arteta was made aware of the tweets after the game and commented: “It’s great. It’s what I want from all the players that are in our squad, I wouldn’t expect anything different – so it’s good to hear.”

    The Spaniard was also asked whether he was frustrated at the amount of media coverage surrounding a player who hasn’t been on the pitch.

    “No, it’s part of the situation we have and we have big players in this position it’s normal that people want to know, that fans want to have information and you guys want to ask the questions,” he replied.

    “So I take it in a natural way and try to respond with honesty and clarity and give the information that is available from the inside.”

    Goal

  • Arteta reacts after Ozil’s Premier League snub

    Arteta reacts after Ozil’s Premier League snub

    Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has no problems with leaving Mesut Ozil out of his Premier League squad.

    The 31-year-old’s Arsenal career is effectively over after he was also left out of their Europa League squad.

    Ozil responded furiously to the decision, accusing Arsenal of a lack of loyalty.

    “Everybody is free to express their feelings,” Arteta said in response to the German’s comments.

    “It was just a football decision and my conscience is very calm because I have been really fair with him.

    My level of communication with him has been high, we know what to expect with each other.

    “He has had the opportunities like everybody else. I’m sad that I had to leave three players out of this list but I tried to look everybody in the eye and be comfortable with it.

    “With Mesut, I have this feeling because I have been very straight forward since I arrived at this club.

    “It’s nothing related to [Ozil’s] behaviour. It’s my decision.”

    Arteta added that he took responsibility for not getting the best out of Ozil.

    “My job is to get the best out of every player to contribute to the team performance,” Arteta said. “At the moment I feel that I have failed because I want the best possible Mesut for the team.

    “In some moments I was able to get close to that but at the moment I haven’t been able to do it.

    “This is the reality and we have to face it. The best way is to talk things through face-to-face.

    “I take full responsibility, I have to be the one getting the best out of the players.”

  • Ozil hits out at Arsenal after Premier League snub

    Ozil hits out at Arsenal after Premier League snub

    Mesut Ozil has hit out at Arsenal after being left out of Arsenal’s Premier League squad.

    The German playmaker hasn’t played for the club since March, but still has one year left on his contract.

    In a statement on social media he wrote:

    “This is a difficult message to write to the Arsenal fans that I’ve not played for over the past few years.

    “I’m really deeply disappointed by the fact that I’ve not been registered for the Premier League season for the time being.

    “Upon signing my new contract in 2018, I pledged my loyalty and allegiance to the club that I love, Arsenal, and it saddens me that this has not been reciprocated.

    “As I have just found out, loyalty is hard to come by nowadays.

    “I’ve always tried to remain positive from week to week that there’s maybe a chance to get back in the squad soon again. That’s why I kept silent so far.

    “Before the Coronavirus break I was really happy with the development under our new coach Mikel Arteta – we’ve been on a positive way I would say my performances were on a really good level.

    “But then things changed, again, and I was no longer allowed to play football for Arsenal.

    “What else can I say?

    “London still feels like home, I still have many good friends in this team, and I still feel a strong connection with the fans of the club.

    “No matter what, I will keep fighting for my chance and not let my 8th season at Arsenal end like this.

    “I can promise you that this hard decision won’t change anything in my mindset – I will continue to train as best as I can and wherever possible use my voice against inhumanity and for justice.”

  • Ozil out of Arsenal’s Premier League squad, Cech in surprise return at Chelsea

    Ozil out of Arsenal’s Premier League squad, Cech in surprise return at Chelsea

    Arsenal’s out-of-favour midfielder Mesut Ozil was left out of their 25-man English Premier League (EPL) squad list for the 2020/2021 season released on Tuesday.

    This has further increased the likelihood that he has played his last game for the north London club.

    Ozil, who is under contract with Arsenal until June 2021 and earns a reported 350,000 pounds (452,830 dollars) per week, has not played for Mikel Arteta’s side this season.

    The 32-year-old German playmaker, who last played for Arsenal in March, was also axed from their 2020/2021 Europa League squad earlier this month.

    Arteta had said last month that his team are “evolving” and that Ozil would find it difficult to find a place in the squad, casting doubts over his future at the club.

    Defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos was also left out of Arsenal’s Premier League squad after he too was excluded from the Europa League squad.

    Elsewhere, Chelsea named Petr Cech, who played for the club from 2004 to 2015 and currently works as technical advisor at Stamford Bridge, as emergency goalkeeper cover amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Cech had retired as a player in May 2019 after playing for Arsenal in their Europa League final defeat by Chelsea.

    “We don’t want to risk having a difficulty with finishing a game. Although this is just an emergency option and the likelihood is very small, we want to be safe,” Cech said via his representatives.

    “The manager, Frank Lampard, decides on who gets nominated and who does not.

    “In the end, we agreed and it was actually also his idea that since I train with the team, it will make sense to put me in for some emergency situation.”

    Manchester United excluded defender Phil Jones and goalkeeper Sergio Romero from their squad, while Danny Rose was left out by Tottenham Hotspur.

    This was after he failed to secure a move to a second-tier Championship club on transfer deadline day.

    EPL leaders Everton dropped winger Yannick Bolasie after the 31-year-old failed to make the matchday squad this season, having last played for the Toffees in May 2018.

    Premier League clubs can register 25 first team players over the age of 21, of whom a minimum of eight should be home-grown.

    A “homegrown” player is defined by the Premier League as a player of any nationality who is 21 or older on Jan. 1, 2021.

    Such a player must have spent three years between the ages of 16 and 21 at an English league team.

  • Arteta sets time frame for Ozil to prove himself

    Arteta sets time frame for Ozil to prove himself

    Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has told Mesut Ozil that he has two months to prove himself at the club.

    The German World Cup-winning midfield playmaker has not started a game for the Gunners since 7 March.

    Arteta left German misfit Ozil out of his Europa League squad last week, and offered no guarantees that the 32-year-old will be named in the Premier League squad next week.

    The Gunners manager, whose side face a tough trip to Manchester City, also left defender Sokratis out of the European squad, and he said: “I wanted to tell them face to face before releasing the squad.

    “I explained the reasons why and the numbers we had. It was really difficult for me to tell them – but this is the restriction and rules.

    “They have to respect that decision and try to train the best possible way, help the team when they can. Then we will see what happens in December.”

    Arteta added: “To leave players out at that level, where they know they cannot get involved, is really tough. But the decision had to be made because we have an excess of foreign players.

    “It is down to us to to find ways to motivate those players. And it is about how you react to disappointments. Try to look at the overall picture, make the right decisions.”

  • Arsenal offered £5million deal to offload Ozil

    Arsenal offered £5million deal to offload Ozil

    Al-Nassr have made a £5million offer for Arsenal midfielder, Mesut Ozil, according to TYC Sports.

    The Saudi Arabian club is keen to land the 31-year-old World Cup winner.

    Ozil has not played for the Gunners since March 7.

    He has been frozen out of the Arsenal first team by manager Mikel Arteta ever since football resumed after the lockdown.

    Arteta also left him out of the 25-man Europa League squad for the 2020/2021 campaign.

    Although Ozil might never play for the club again, the German playmaker is willing to run down his £350,000-a-week contract which expires in June.

    Ozil is understood not to be interested in the two-year deal put forward by Al Nassr.

  • Ozil gives condition to pay axed Gunnersaurus’s wages

    Ozil gives condition to pay axed Gunnersaurus’s wages

    Mesut Ozil has offered to pay Gunnersaurus’s wages after seeing the mascot let go by Arsenal after 27 years of service.

    Jerry Quy was relieved of his mascot duties at Emirates Stadium at the start of the week, with the club deciding that his services were no longer required in the absence of supporters.

    Quy became a much-loved figure at Arsenal after donning the famous dinosaur suit in 1993, three years before the arrival of legendary manager Arsene Wenger.

    “I was so sad that Jerry Quy aka our famous & loyal mascot Gunnersaurus and integral part of our club was being made redundant after 27 years,” the Arsenal midfielder wrote on Twitter.

    “As such, I’m offering to reimburse Arsenal with the full salary of our big green guy as long as I will be an Arsenal player.”

  • Video: Ozil, Kolasinac escape attempted robbery

    Arsenal duo Mesut Ozil and Sead Kolasinac are both unharmed after escaping an attempted robbery in London on Thursday.
    Social media footage of the attack shows the pair in an altercation with suspects on motorbikes wielding knives.
    Arsenal have confirmed both passenger Kolasinac and driver Ozil were involved in the incident and are both unharmed.
    The club are treating it as a “private matter” and say it does not affect the players’ pre-season training.
    Met Police were called to Platts Lane in north London, where they spoke to both players who had travelled to a nearby restaurant following the incident.
    The police say no arrests have been made, as their enquiries continue.
    Met Police said in a statement: “Police were called to Platts Lane, NW3, shortly before 17.00hrs on Thursday, 25 July to reports of an attempted robbery.
    “It was reported that suspects on motorbikes had attempted to rob a man who was driving a car.
    Watch video:

  • EPL: Why Ozil did not feature against Bournemouth – Emery

    Arsenal manager Unai Emery has said Sunday’s Premier League fixture against Bournemouth was too demanding for Mesut Ozil, which fueled speculations of poor relationship between the manager and the playmaker.

    The 30-year-old German World Cup-winning midfielder had played in the Gunners’ previous three matches — all draws — but Emery decided his style did not fit with Bournemouth’s robust approach.

    “We thought ‘how we can do better in the match’, a very demanding match with physicality and intensity,” Emery said following the 2-1 win for Arsenal, when asked why Ozil had not started.

    “Every player is important but today we tried with three centre-backs and it was another possibility for us to improve and find our best performance as a team.”

    Ozil, whose place in the team for Sunday’s North London derby with Tottenham could now be in doubt, did not even warm up for the match.

    “It depends on how the match is going,” said Emery, replying to a question on why Ozil had not warmed up.

    “I decided on another option. We knew this was a difficult stadium, a difficult team. Seventeen matches we haven’t lost but the last three we drew. That is not enough for us.”

    Emery and Ozil have had a fractious relationship since the Spaniard replaced Arsene Wenger at the end of last season.

    Ozil missed the 3-1 win over West Ham in August, when it was reported he and Emery had argued at the training ground but the Arsenal boss said the player had been too ill to train.

    Ozil also threw a tantrum at being substituted in the 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace — in which he captained the side in the absence of the injured Petr Cech — in late October.

    He stomped past Emery and hurled his gloves to the turf in disgust before taking a seat on the bench.

    Emery, though, did not take umbrage publicly, stating “I like the players like him who show the character when we are not playing well”.